Newcastle United v Arsenal (2015-16)
| next = }} Newcastle United v Arsenal was a match which took place at the St James' Park on Saturday 29 August 2015. An own goal from defender Fabricio Coloccini gave Arsenal an unconvincing victory over 10-man Newcastle. Arsenal scored early in the second half when winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's angled shot on the rebound clipped Coloccini's heel and went into the net. The hosts had earlier seen striker Aleksandar Mitrovic sent off in the 16th minute for a rash challenge on Gunners midfielder Francis Coquelin. Newcastle failed to register a single shot on target in the entire contest. Arsenal have not lost at St James' Park in the league since December 2005 and have won their last eight games against Newcastle, scoring 21 goals and conceding just six. Newcastle boss Steve McClaren has still to to taste victory in the Premier League after four matches at his new club. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger described his side's start to the season as "very average" before this game and although the Gunners secured three points at St James' Park their strikers continue to misfire. After Mitrovic's 16th-minute dismissal, Arsenal dominated possession in the final third of the pitch but were unable to turn that superiority into goals. Theo Walcott's best effort was to lift a chance he should have scored over the crossbar while substitute Olivier Giroud made little impact when he came on. With the transfer window set to close on Tuesday, Arsenal's supporters will be hoping Wenger has a goalscorer lined up from somewhere. Newcastle signed Mitrovic from Anderlecht for £13m in the summer and the Serbia international arrived with a reputation as a volatile player. McClaren had already said that the 20-year-old must show more "emotional control" after yellow cards in his first two Premier League games. After Mitrovic's senseless high tackle on Coquelin, the former England manager's words will need to be much tougher than that. McClaren felt the sending off was "harsh" and "clumsy" but he cannot afford to be playing matches with 10 men and at the moment Mitrovic looks like a red card waiting to happen. This is supposed to be the season that Arsenal graduate from top-four regulars to title contenders. At the moment it's hard to build a compelling case that they will rival teams like Manchester City, although it is still very early days. Wenger was pleased with the way in which his side "kept our nerve" and described their display as "mature and intelligent". It's an old cliche that champions have to win ugly but if Arsenal have serious ambitions on the top prize they should be breezing past a 10-man Newcastle side. Match Details |goals2 = Coloccini |stadium = St. James' Park, Newcastle |attendance = 50,388 |referee = Andre Marriner }} |valign="top"| |valign="top" width="50%"| |} The stats you need to know *Arsene Wenger has won 10 out of his 11 matches against Steve McClaren *Newcastle have been shown nine red cards since the start of last season, more than any other Premier League side *Arsenal are unbeaten in their last 10 Premier League matches against Newcastle *Newcastle have not had a shot on target since the first half of their match against Swansea on 15 August See also *2015-16 Premier League: Match day 4 External links *Match report at BBC.co.uk Category:2015-16 Match Day info Category:Newcastle United F.C. matches Category:Arsenal F.C. matches Category:2015–16 Premier League Matches